The Channel Wire

July 16, 2009

Privately-held AVG Technologies has carved out a nice slice of security industry mindshare on the strength of its free antivirus offering and is now looking for a new chief executive to help take AVG's business to the next level.

AVG's Board of Directors insists that incumbent AVG CEO J.R. Smith has done a fine job in leading the company and will remain "an integral part of the business," but says the time has come to bring in a new CEO with experience in the art of the initial public offering.

"We are looking for an additional executive leader with public company experience and a proven record in taking a company of our size through the next phases of growth," said Dale Fuller, chairman of the AVG board, in a statement issued Thursday.

Once a new CEO is hired, Smith and the rest of AVG's executive leadership can channel their efforts toward being "laser-focused on acquisitions, investments and business relationships that will allow us to move forward," according to Smith.

"AVG has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years and we believe that with the right investments in additional talent, we will be poised to capitalize on growing opportunities in the global market place," Fuller said in a statement.

Chelmsford, Mass.-based AVG says it has more than 80 million users in 167 countries. In January, AVG acquired behavior-based software company Sana Security to bolster its identity theft protection capabilities.